Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/21/2019
Name: Eric Murrow and Zach Kinler

Subject: Cruising around the CB area
Aspect: North East, East
Elevation: 9,400′-11,145

Avalanches:

In a quick trip out to Brush Creek trailhead, we observed D1-D2 avalanches on pretty much every steep (35 deg+), unsupported, Easterly slope above and below ditch trail. These failed near the ground of this very weak and shallow snowpack during our last loading event.

Along Gothic Road, again, multiple D1-D2 avalanches on steep, East aspects below the road. Similar to Brush Creek, these ran at the bottom of the snowpack on a crust sitting on top of faceted snow 15cm from ground.

Weather: Cloudy skies, light-moderate SW winds below tree line with occasional gusting, snow showers starting @ 12:00 with 2″-3″ accumulations during the afternoon tour. Temps in the mid 20’s.

Snowpack: Toured Northeast and East slopes below tree line with HS ~120 cm on NE and ~100cm on East.

A crown profile from a recent D2 avalanche on NE @ 10,200′ that likely ran towards the end of the most recent loading on 1/18, revealed the crown was an average of 45 cm and ran on the upper most of 3 SH layers that were observed in this location.

The snowpack was talking to us very little today with non-propagating long column results and no cracking or collapsing, however consistent slab over weak snow was felt with ski poles, SH layers were clearly visible in pit walls and lots of recent avalanche activity kept terrain choices conservative.
Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/21/2019
Name: ADB

Subject: Anthracite Mesa-Coneys
Aspect: North East, East
Elevation: BTL

Avalanches:

An east facing slope near the neighborhood and parking area. SS-N-R1-D1 likely happened 48 hours ago during the last big natural cycle.

Weather: Tour started with obstructed skies and transition to obscured skies with light winds around 1030AM. Snowfall rates were S1 and S2. Winds were mostly light with one moderate gust. Winds didn’t transport snow onto the lee slopes.

Snowpack: Open areas in valley bottom before snowfall appeared to have a fresh layer of surface hoar (<1 cm ocular estimate).
We stayed on main beaten in skin track: no cracking, collapsing, or whumping.
Snow was very supportive and had a Sierra Nevada creaminess.
Photos:

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 01/20/2019
Name: Eric Murrow

Subject: Quick below treeline check on SE up Wa Gulch
Aspect: South East, South
Elevation: 9,500 to 10,400

Avalanches:

Avalanche in Coon Basin on Mt. Emmons that a friend believed to not be there on Saturday, but noticed Sunday morning. East aspect R2D2 – crown appeared to be maybe 4ish feet deep but was very narrow contained between to shallow, pungy ribs.

Weather: Comfortable air temps with calm winds below treeline. At 430 looking back towards Treasury could see healthy flagging off of peak.

Snowpack: Poked a couple of holes on SE slopes to check on PSa problem BTL and found hard ECTP results in two locations, one was shallow at 94 cm and the other at a drifted location with 143cm. Both locations failed around the same crust level mid-pack but the shallower location failed below a crust on 1.5mm facets and the drifted location failed a the crust on 1mm facets. The deeper site had the same 1.5mm facets below the suspect crust but failed above it. Both locations had a very similar structure with the key difference that the shallow location just barely had 4f slab sandwiched in upper layers whereas the deeper location definitively had slab structure above the failure location. Was not able to get a collapse by jumping around at both locations.

Photos:

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 01/20/2019
Name: Via email to CBAC

Subject: Remote skier triggered SW above Pittsburg
Aspect: South West
Elevation: 10,600′

Avalanches:

remote triggered from about 30 feet away. Windloaded roll over. ssw face. 10,600, super bulgey crown, 130 cm at the tallest, 80 cm most of it.

Weather:

Snowpack:

Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/20/2019
Name: Tim speca

Subject: Human triggered slide
Aspect:
Elevation:

Avalanches:

Loose second hand photos and information. A friend was connecting from the trappers way subdivision towards the lower loop system on the bottom of mt emmons and triggered this slide

Weather:

Snowpack:

Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/19/2019
Name: Chris Miller

Subject: Schuykill and Pittsburg Area Avalanche Observations
Aspect: East, South East, South
Elevation: 9-11,500

Avalanches:

Weather:

Snowpack:
Photos:

Location: Crested Butte Area
Date of Observation: 01/19/2019
Name: CB Avalanche Center

Subject: Compilation of Mt. CB Avalanche Observations sent in from public observers
Aspect: North East, East, South East
Elevation: 9500

Avalanches:

several avalanches off Sunlight Ridge, adjacent to last week’s large avalanche running through avalanche fencing.

Weather:

Snowpack:

Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/19/2019
Name: Eleven Cat Ski Guides

Subject: Close Call in Ruby Range
Aspect: South East
Elevation: 11,000ft

Avalanches:

“Matt and I responded to another snowmobile triggered avalanche in the Ruby Range. We made contact with the group and everyone was accounted for. One snowmobile was close to fully burried. Three separate D2’s from the incident. 1-3′ deep, total of 800′ wide SE at 11,000′. Photo to follow.

Weather:

Snowpack:
Photos: